ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Monday opened financial bids for awarding contract of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s priority project — Bhara Kahu bypass — and the National Logistics Cell (NLC) turned to be the lowest bidder.

Since CDA had called bids from government-owned construction firms only, the Frontier Work Organisation (FWO) and NLC participated in the process.

Sources said FWO submitted a bid worth Rs7.3 billion while the NLC offered Rs6.5 billion. Therefore, the NLC being lowest bidder will be issued work orders in a few days.

CDA officials said the NLC was likely to mobilise its machinery in a couple of days while the formal inauguration of the project would be carried out by prime minister upon his return from United States. The project would be completed in four months.

Project to be completed in four months as per PM’s directive, says CDA chairman

Last month, the prime minister had directed the CDA to launch the project as soon as possible and complete it within four months. The five-kilometre-long road (including one km flyover) will start from Murree Road near Quaid-i-Azam University stop and culminate at Murree Road near the Jugi bus stop adjacent to Punjab Cash and Carry from where it will have a one-km-long flyover which will end outside the Bhara Kahu bazaar towards Murree.

Earlier, the CDA had planned a 7.8-km-long road to completely bypass the entire Bhara Kahu and Kot Hatyal. However, the project required almost two years for completion. Therefore, the CDA shelved it and instead decided to launch the five-km-road and flyover project.

A couple of weeks ago, the CDA’s Development Working Party (DWP) had approved the PC-I worth around Rs7 billion, however, on Monday when bids were opened the civic agency received the Rs6.5b bid against the estimated cost of Rs7 billion.

Once completed, the project would provide a big relief to people travelling towards Murree and Kashmir as the existing Murree Road in Bhara Kahu faced traffic congestion, particularly on the weekends. The CDA engineering wing is optimistic that the project would be completed within the deadline.

Speaking to Dawn CDA Chairman Capt (retired) Mohammad Usman confirmed that financial bids had been opened for the bypass project.

He said he had directed the engineering wing to get the project started immediately, adding that it would be completed within four months.

Recently, in his first interaction with mediapersons, the CDA chief, in response to a question, had said the project was doable in four months time. He had said the CDA would try to get it completed even before the deadline.

Bhara Kahu bypass project was the main task given by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the CDA chairman. This project would be the first mega development project which was being launched by the incumbent government.

Other ongoing road projects were started by the previous government. Some of them like Rawal Dam and 7th Avenue interchange projects are near completion while ongoing Margalla Road (from G.T. Road to D-12), was expected to be completed in December this year.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2022